Damane
by Phayte
Summary: Freedom is a relative term when magic users are captured for weapons against their own people
1. Prologue

DAMANE  
  
Prolouge  
  
*Disclaimer~Don't own Slayers or the damane idea I got from Wheel of Time  
  
The town was wracked with screams and cries for mercy, wailing children, and moans of the injured and dying. Fires blazed from ground to rooftop some hundred feet above heads in some places. Smells stung the noses of everyone, some too gory to describe. Dark clouds hung overhead, mocking, seeming ready to dump down much desired rain, but they floated there, becoming confused with the smoke that drown the town.  
  
This was a peaceful harbor town, until strange black ships entered claiming themselves to be "Those Who Came Before come to reclaim their lands. These people were setting an example of this town, to destroy the abominations that now plagued what was once beautiful and prosperous. No amount of pleading or talks could pacify the People Who Came Before, they were offended, and they had women bound by a collar around their necks hooked to a bracelet worn by another woman. Those woman collared used magik against the people. There was a look in those woman's eyes, not of sadistic joy, but of shamed sadness, self-shame at a weakness not visible to the human eye. The woman bearing the bracelet, in contrast, wore those looks of sadistic joy, utter satisfaction.  
  
Lina came racing into the town, bearing water spells and ice spells, anything she could do. Her face screwed up into that of frustration and anger, she'd planned to sleep here, eat here, and set sail for somewhere else by dawn. Now the town was alight and these ignorant people attacking were making her very angry. "FIREBALL!" She aimed it at one woman who stood apart from the screaming, retreating masses. The woman, garbed in a simple red gown with lightning bolts embroidered on the sides, was hit, but it was not her who cried out. This was the first time Lina saw the chains, much like that of a leash on a dog. The woman on the other end, silver collar around her neck, screamed out in pain and fell, writhing on the ground.  
  
In that moment, confusion took hold of Lina Inverse and blinded her vision for a moment, things went by in a blur, the woman with the silver bracelet around her wrist yelling for the writhing woman on the ground to stand and kill the one who dare strike her in such a way. The collared woman on the ground still shaking, crying, and yelling in pain while she stood slowly. The sadistic woman looked up and met Lina's ruby red eyes and stood in almost shock until Lina felt something encircle her neck and click. Whirling around, the person behind her who locked the neck restraint received a nasty punch in the face, but it wasn't she who felt it. Lina reeled backwards, pain exploding all over her face, as if she'd been blasted in the face with a bag of bricks. Whiplash struck her when the silver cord reached its end and she was jerked forward.  
  
The woman who bound her, and the other who had received the fireball, stood above her and spoke in a language she did not understand, but then, she didn't understand much of what had just occurred. Still, one word of what they spoke stood out in her mind and her eyes went wide with terror, damane. Trickles of needle pricks all down her body made her groan and grunt and try to push them away, finding only that there were no needles. Pain then exploded in the back of her head and Lina Inverse fell into not-so-blissful sleep.  
  
~\*/~  
  
"Linaaaaaaa!" Gourry tried to grab after her before she ran headlong into the town, anger seeping from her every pore. He was too late and Lina escaped from his grasp, he resolved to chase after her, only to fall behind, lost among the noise, haste, and panic of everyone. Her voice rung out clear, however, when she shouted her classic "FIREBALL" and Gourry made his way to her only to find her unconscious and in the arms of a woman who looked every bit as dangerous when she was frustrated as Lina, and this woman was frustrated. They spoke in a strange language Gourry didn't even try to figure out and carried Lina away, followed by two other women, one bound by a silver collar connected to a silver cord, connected still to a silver bracelet on the other woman's wrist. The collared woman kept vigilant on the ground, taking extra care not to look anywhere else as they advanced toward the largest black ship in the port.  
  
"Lina!!!!" It seemed to be the only word to come to Gourry's mouth and he unsheathed his sword, only to have a stony blue hand rest on his shoulder and hold him back with surprising gentleness in his strength.  
  
"We can't, not yet." Zelgadiss glared at the people now leaving after the terror they inflicted upon the town.  
  
"Why not! Zel, they have Lina!" Tears almost fell from Gourry's eyes, "We've gotta-"  
  
"Damane, Gourry, they'll kill us if we go after them now. Lina'll know what to do, hopefully."  
  
Gourry stopped for a moment and stood up straight, "What's damane Zel?"  
  
Zelgadiss sighed and turned his back on the departing ships, the hardest thing he could do, leave Lina to those monsters who call themselves champions. If her temper did not get her killed, it would get her injured so badly she may as well be dead. But Zel hoped Lina knew enough about the legends to know to behave, at least pretend to be tame. "Come Gourry, let's go and I'll tell you about them." Zel again grabbed his shoulder when Gourry looked back, ready to leap into the water and follow them, "Believe me Gourry, we'd only get ourselves and Lina killed if we go after her now."  
  
Gourry's shoulders shook and her slowly turned his back to the water and Lina. A tear fell from his eye and caught the light of the fire, reflecting it to the endless distance that was the ocean. 


	2. Chapter 1

**Damane  
**_Chapter 1  
  
Disclaimer-see prologue  
  
_"You'll listen then?"  
  
"Yes." Soft blue eyes glittered uncharacteristically cold at that moment. They needed to do something and could not stand doing nothing.  
  
"A long time ago, a lot of people could control magic, it was thought that every person could control a little bit of it." Zel made sure he kept things simple, he needed to explain this in as little time as possible, "and around that time, empires founded by powerful mages sprang up.  
  
"There came a time when Elmekia, then called Ilmandia, had no heir apparent; the son of the mage Abriam, the current emporer at the time, was born with no magic whatsoever. He was born, however, speaking an odd language only few in the entire continent knew of. It was a strange gift in itself because the people who spoke it could understand both our language and theirs. They mostly spoke their own though.  
  
"Anyway, he was ruthless, but being shunned by everyone in the known world can do that," Zel spat in the fire, "and only those who could understand him got anywhere near him. Often he'd beat them and abuse them, but they were his servants and swore fealty to none but him.  
  
"One day, one of his servants approached him, holding a silver collar secured to a slender cord, attached to a small bracelet of the same silver metal. They seemed flexible, but all one piece of metal. The prince's curiosity peeked and demanded what it was for, he answer was that this was how he would be able to control magic. The servant clasped the bracelet on his wrist and the collar on her own neck confidently. But when it did nothing her master could see, he became angry and commanded her to make it work, only to find her writhing, near death, on the floor.  
  
"He commanded to know what happened, and when the pain stopped, the servant explained that the wearer of the braceclet or '_suldam_' commanded the _'adam' _or collared one. Severe pain would come if the _suldam _was disobeyed and if the _suldam _was hurt, the _adam _felt it ten times over while recieving the marks while the _suldam _escaped apparently unharmed.  
  
"The servant evidentally expected to be set free after her explaination since she put it on herself, for magic cannot open them, at least not by the wearer of the collar. But the prince had other ideas. He commanded that more be made, never letting her go. He was disappointed when he found that the metal used to create them came from an island across the sea. The servants began to gather more followers and command armies by the intoxicating charm that their language produced. People to be leashed, voluntarily and non, were collected as well. All magic users. Ships were built and half of the continent departed.  
  
The magic barrier was set after they left, but not before recieving the promise that they would return and claim the land again, no doubt outlawing magic except for the damane...the leashed ones. No one believed they'd return, especially afte rthe magical barrier went up. Now, I'm afraid they really ARE here."  
  
Zelgadiss jumped suddenly when he heard a loud crack and Gourry's angry grunt, a wooden log, snapped in half, fell from the pile of firewood at a side of their camp, "Wha-"  
  
"My ancestors Zel! They did this to Lina, she can't survive being conrolled! She's not meant to be, why her? I didn't see anyone else being leashed and I KNOW there were other magic users there, fires vanished in the blink of an eye and people with capes all over!"  
  
"My guess is, they didn't come planning to take women. Gourry, I don't know how much you're going to want to hear this, but the first _damane_, Iolata was the prince's lover. She was a small woman with red hair and eyes, not Elmekian born."  
  
Gourry practically fell backwards, "Is he still alive?"  
  
"I don't know, that's why we have to be careful." Zelgadiss sat mesmerized by the fire.  
  
"Lina." Gourry whisper to the wind. 


	3. Chapter 2

DAMANE  
  
Chapter 2  
  
DisclaimerDon't own Slayers or the damane idea I got from Wheel of Time  
  
Lina awoke with a painful headache and a case of dizzy disorientation; the world around her spun, even with her eyes closed. She put a hand on her eyes and dozed off until the effect passed. An hour later, she awoke uncomfortably, moving her shoulder blades around the bed she as on. It felt like nothing more than a blanket on a thin layer of straw on a stone floor. "Gourry," her voice was wrapped in discomfort, "light the fire, it's freezing!"  
  
When nobody responded, she groaned and sat up, a bad moon imminent. Lina hated to wake up somewhere hungover. But, she didn't remember drinking anything last night, all that crossed her memory was that town in flames, people screaming, two women....  
  
Lina put a hand to her mouth and yawned, she'd tried to save that town, but what happened to it? She raised her other hand stretching. The hand brushed against something metal and she went stiff, memories flooding back to her. Lina's hands went suddenly to her throat and yanked at the metal collar there. Sparks of electricity shot through her fingers and she pulled away in surprise. She made an effort to jump up and run to the tiny door of the tiny room she was in, but upon reaching the door, she first discovered it didn't have a handle, and just after than, she was thrown back against the far wall by some strange force.  
  
Lina rubbed the back of her head where it hit the wall and cursed, it hurt more than it was supposed to. The sharp pain of the initial blow still rang through her skull whereas it should have faded and at least be aching by now. Throwing that aside for the moment, she looked up and saw the bracelet linked to the cord hanging from a peg high up on the wall. 'The sul'dam are stupider than I thought they'd be.' she thought before standing up and making an effort to grasp the bracelet.  
  
Suddenly, her arm stopped, cramping painfully. Lina's face twisted in pain as she tried to move it but couldn't. The door to her room opened and in stepped a fair girl with a charming complexion, dark, almost black, hair and shimmering green eyes. The woman laughed sweetly at someone who had spoken to her and was now moving farther down the hall outside of the room. When the woman turned her head, she frowned at Lina, "Now now, we can't have you trying to escape. You new ones always play the fool don't you? Please put your arm down." The voice was sweet and commanding, as if talking to a child or a pet.  
  
Lina's anger boiled under the surface and she was unable to quell the look in her eyes, but her voice was contorted in the pain that it came out perhaps just the way the woman wanted by the look on her face when Lina spoke, "I can't."  
  
"Well all you have to do it convince yourself you won't try to escape, then will it down, allow me to help." The woman took the bracelet and placed it on her wrist gingerly, with a grace almost like that of royalty. Suddenly pain exploded in Lina's head, feeling as if it were to explode. Hands shot to her head and Lina fell to the floor, afraid that if she took her hands away, she would explode.  
  
"But, the a'dam only works the the sul'dam's will." The woman said, not losing the clarity or cheeriness in her tone, "Which is why you must obey me, unless you wish this to happen again." "Tell me what you want from me?" Lina growled once the pain subsided slightly.  
  
There was a prominent pause before, "You should NEVER speak unless spoken to a'dam." The woman's clear eyes clouded with disappointment, "However, I will be extremely generous now and answer your questions just this once without the proper punishment. You are requested by his highness, although you are no where near worthy enough yet to offer yourself to him. It will take some training to get you domesticated, seeing the wild and feral spirit you've been permitted to live with until now, and your language must be regained, among other things. You are still unbroken?" The woman moved toward Lina with intentions Lina didn't like.  
  
Lina shied away from her, grabbing the drab grey dress she was garbed in and drew it around her front in a protective manner, "What are you talking about? What's the meaning of this, I'm Lina Inverse, how dare you talk to me like that!"  
  
Weight like no other slammed against Lina's back and sent her to the ground, crushing her. She thought she heard one of her bones snap but the pressure was so intense, she couldn't tell what it may be. She groaned and pleaded with the pressure to stop.  
  
"You will not speak to me in such a manner. You are a'dam and only meant to answer directly questions asked of you and to obey your sul'dam! You will remain unaware of mattes that do not concern you and vigilance must be kept on every step of your sul'dam or their pain will be yours and more. Do you understand this a'dam?" The woman's voice was thick with disappointment and seriousness. She sighed and waited impatiently for Lina to stand, "Perhaps Anka was right, it will take much more time than I have patience for to tame you. But you will be tamed and offered wholly to his highness. I trust by your reaction and tone of speech that you are still untouched by any unworthy hand. And a'dam, you will give yourself to him." With that, she hung the bracelet back up on its peg and left the room with an almost regal air, closing the door silently as if walking out of her own home.  
  
A little time passed between the woman leaving and Lina actually picking part of her body up. Her bangs shrouded the ruby-red eyes that blazed with hatred, anger, and insolence. "Lina Inverse begs to no one, let alone offers herself to one such as him. I will not be tamed, you will kill me first." Her voice was hoarse, but only added to the seething threat she issued, "Or perhaps I'll kill you."  
  
The sensation of being slapped stung her face, but Lina did not flinch, she refused. She still remained on the ground in her position refusing to let herself move her body. In just that little time, Lina had become vengeance- filled and an almost different person. She spat on the floor, a single drop of blood splashed on the ground, Lina gazed at it and passed it. "The one to draw first blood will be the one to spill the last of it." She whispered in a language strange and yet so familiar to her. The saying itself was all to common to her memory, but she couldn't recall from where.  
  
Lina Inverse slipped into unconsciousness with that thought and promise.  
  
"So, ah, Zel, why are we going to Seyroon again?" Gourry trudged up next to the chimera, a distant look clouding his eyes as it had the past few days.  
  
Zelgadiss sighed, frustrated for about the millionth time that day, without exaggeration. "Gourry, we're going to find Amelia. Her father is bound to let us borrow a ship after he hears of the situation. That and we have to think of some kind of plan."  
  
"Why can't we just go in and attack. We're unstoppable when it comes to swords and they can't stop those with their magic...can then?" Gourry was looking at the sky, the familiar reds of the sunset sending his gaze farther off, so far that Zelgadiss thought he was completely gone for a moment.  
  
Zel sighed, "Gourry, you just want to barge in there where those people possibly have stronger sorceresses under their control than Lina and expect to win with out swords? You're dumber than I thought, you should know better than anyone else, only enchanted swords work against magic, and even then not all of it. Yours isn't enchanted anymore and mine may not work against everything. Besides, we don't even know if mine'd work against what we'd be fighting."  
  
"Lina'd help us."  
  
"Gourry, Lina couldn't help if she wanted to. As a matter of fact, the effort might even kill her. We've got to find a way to free her before we even think of attacking or else she would die and it'd be our faults!"  
  
Gourry snapped back to reality so quick his neck popped, "How so?!"  
  
Zelgadiss sighed again, "Didn't I tell you once that an a'dam feels any pain caused to the sul'dam twice over? So if we kill the sul'dam linked to Lina, the sul'dam wouldn't die, but Lina'd feel the pain of death twice over. Almost like dying twice. We've got to free her of that collar first. Then I don't think Lina'd give us the option of eradicating her 'holder'."  
  
Gourry nodded, knowing exactly what Zelgadiss meant. "But we are going to get her back." It wasn't a question, but a statement, and Gourry never lied; at least, not that he knew of.  
  
Zelgadiss nodded.

==

NOTE: the former adam and suldam are actually supposed to be spelled a'dam and sul'dam, the punctuation I previously used didn't work on here. Just ta let ya know that's how it's supposed to go.


	4. Chapter 3

**Damane  
  
Chapter 1**  
  
_Disclaimer-see prologue_  
  
Days went by in much the same manner for quite a while, Lina awoke with a headache. Quickly, she would banish it from her mind, convincing herself that she'd felt worse several times before. She longed for breakfast, or any food at all for taht matter, and grumble under her breath until she began yelling, nearly tearing her hair out. At first, Lina had tried to grab the bracelet from the hook on the wall, but as soon as she reached her hand out, it froze and cramped horribly. Eventually she stopped that tactic and tried to use her magic, only to find an emptiness where oncee a warm, filling sensation encompassed her, then her head exploded in pain. Now, everyday, Lina tried something new, even biting on the cord linking cthe collar and bracelet, resulting in teeth pain so bad she couldn't have eaten anything for days, had she any food. Througout the day, she thought and tried, starved and moped, and endured the pain that seemed constant until either she passed out or exaustion took her into sometimes pleasant, sometimes greatly disturbing dreams.  
  
She dreamt of Gourry, of a warm spring day, a warm feeling only exhulted by his bright eyes, perfect stature, and gleeming hair. She trembled just looking at his silouette, not a cold, fearful tremble, but a warmth, as if something had been restored within her. And then, there were the dreams of another tall man. Short red hair framed his very angular face, two bangs hung down on either side of his face like cruel red splinters. Avid green eyes glared at her, holding something else, as if it were trying to escape but his cold exterior wouldn't allow it. Men and women in sheer robes bowed around them, jseeming as if not even alive. Lina didn't see them, just KNEW they were there, and alive.  
  
"T'dama noman falsa'adar mejil?"(1)  
  
A command in the form of a question, familiar it was, but Lina could not think of what it was. "Excuse me?" She asked none-to-politely. She could tell from the way he carried himself and how those around him spoke not at all and kept themselves to the floor, that this man was royalty, with great power or influence at least.  
  
"Iolata?"  
  
Suddenly, Lina's eyes were no longer on the cold green ones, but they now were wide and staring at the royal greens, blacks, and golds of his robes. They were soft, unlike the wearer, and Lina found herself clutching at them, feeling arms around her. Her breath hitched and she shook her head clearing a fog that had descecnded on her mind. Something cold and metal fixed on her neck and Lina suddenly clawed at it, writhing in his grasp and yelling incoherently.  
  
"Sadosai Iolata! Beh ki'andan tu nai segan!" (2)  
  
"Ichen! Ichen dai-"(3) Lina was cut off as she was yanked down to the floor before the man. She glared at him with her defiant red eyes. Instantly, she conjured an image of Gourry in her mind and clung to it.  
  
"SADOSAI!" He backhanded her sharply, but not before that warmth filled her once again and she let a fireball fly at him. It all happened so quickly that she was pulled out of the dream.  
  
Lina awoke holding her head, not from pain, but confusion. That man, he was familiar, he called her a different name, familiar, but strange. "Io- Iolata...." everything so familiar somewhere in her mind, Lina shook her head, "I NEED FOOD!" Her stomach growled louder than her yell.  
  
"A'dam do not raise their voices above appropriate levels, no matter who you are." A cold voice belonging to a colder woman with knee-length black hair and hard grey eyes snapped at her. The glare the woman gave Lina was enough to freeze fire and quite the most savage beast. "You may look much like her, but as soon as His Grace lays a finger upon your useless, unworthy hide, you'll be sentenced to death for immitating her. As for your food, you will have it later when your conditioning period is over." A smirk broke over her face, making it all the more frightening, "I did not expect one such as you to make it past this stage. Such a tiny woman, pity he may have to be sated with you. His Grace deserves so much more."  
  
"What are you talking about?!" Lina made herself ready to dive at the woman should she try to retrieve the bracelet. The woman didn't scare her, nothing stronger than any dark lord she'd fought before.  
  
"Ahka! You are forbidden to be in here! Must I tell Lady Tahn that you are outside of your boundaries? Perhaps she has a collar for-" The first woman Lina remembered being here stepped inside the room, interrupted by Ahka's mummerings and rapid exit. "I believe she meant to take up your bracelet. The woman patted Lina's head before Lina could object, "I am to be your sul'dam until you are deemed worthy of a new one, however, that gives you no right to speak up to another sul'dam or quetion them in any way.  
  
Lina bit her bottom lip and forced calm into her mind, she'd get no answers unless she were remotely reasonable to this person, "Please, I ask what this is all about."  
  
The woman smiled brightly, "You see, being proper and acknowledging your position works. Though I would not suggest asking any other sul'dam any questions, I am being extremely generous." The woman stopped when she saw Lina's eyes fixed on her, Lina immediately averted her gaze and the woman went on, "I am called Kaile, and you are chosen to be presented before His Grace and expected to submit to him. You are not worthy yet, but with training you will be domesticated.  
  
"I won't submit to some cocky man who thinks he can control the world with a hunk of metal!" She yank against the cord, "I won't lower myself to groveling to a pig just because some control freaks cause me a little bit of pain!"  
  
Lina was quite unprepared for the feeling of every bone in her body shattering. In her shock, she noticed Kaile was no longer standing in the doorway, but she was against the wall with the bracelet on her wrist. She looked rather calm, but dangerous anger seared in her eyes. "You will NEVER speak of His Grace in such a manner!! Insolent a'dam, you deserve to be killed slowly and painfully this instant. I will settle with teaching you this lesson, your spirit will be broken along with your attitude. You will do this, there is no option for you a'dam." She said in a deathly calm voice.  
  
Lina was on the floor, darkness already closing in around her. She cast one more quickly glance up at Kaile, watching carefully as she removed the bracelet. A weak smile graced her features, she knew now at least how it was done.

Translations:

(1) You have a reason to see me?

(2) Stop Iolata, you are mine, not his!"

(3) What? What are- ---- Lina doesn't know she is speaking the language here.


End file.
